Wrongful termination occurs when an employer fires a worker for unlawful reasons. Common unlawful reasons for unlawful termination includes firing employees for discriminatory reasons based on age, disability or pregnancy. Employees may be able to sue former employers for wrongful termination in California.
In California, due to at-will employment, no specific notice period is required before terminating an employee. Exceptions include situations under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act for mass layoffs, necessitating a 60-day notice.
Legal reasons to terminate contracted employees include the employee willfully breaching a contract, habitually neglecting his/her employment duties, or being unable to perform duties. Verbal and written contracts qualify under state laws.
It makes no difference how long you've been with a company so yes, it's legal to lay off any and everyone without severance. The exceptions: a union agreement requiring severance, a personal contract calling for a severance. This is usually only for executives and ``key'' people.
California, in fact, has some of the strictest laws in this regard. In this state, an employee who is fired or laid off is entitled to a final paycheck right away, at the time of the termination.